There have in the past been provided portable power operated sanders having suction systems for creating a vacuum induced flow of air from a location near the tool and near the work surface being sanded, in a manner carrying particles abraded from the work surface to a bag or other container within which the particles are collected. In some instances, the air and abraded particles are drawn through passages formed in a power driven backing pad which carries a sheet of sandpaper and which is actuated with the sandpaper to perform the abrading operation. Devices of this type have been shown in my pending patent application Ser. No. 6/830,574 filed Feb. 18, 1986 on "Portable Power Operated Sander". The pads disclosed in that application include cushions which may be formed of a foam material, and which are resiliently deformable to cushion the forces applied to the sandpaper in use, with the air-flow passages extending through that deformable pad material to a location at which a suction system can withdraw the air and entrained abraded particles for delivery to a discharge location.